Hi all, the cold has subsided, and I can feel my toes again, but this week the weather has had an uncanny ability to turn just as we’ve been settling down for lunch. It was rain on Wednesday, and ten minutes into our break on Thursday we were set upon by a sudden hailstorm which promptly finished as soon as it was time for work again. Never mind, all part of the fun!
On Monday we carried out the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) around Greylake and West Sedgemoor, with thousands of lapwing, golden plover and wigeon spotted on the reserves, as well as smaller numbers of other species such as shoveler, fieldfare, snipe and skylark. The birds are constantly on the move which makes counting and keeping track of them quite tricky at times!
The rest of the week consisted mostly of clearing up some willow that was pollarded last year, and more work on the hedges at West Sedgemoor. We’ve begun clearance on a second hedge now and there’s so much bramble I was able to go at it with a brushcutter which really sped things up! On removing the bramble, I unearthed an old bridge and gate that would have previously led to an old drove – I wonder what else is hiding in the undergrowth?! As for the hedge, the original blackthorn is all but gone, so it’ll be good to re-lay what’s left and maybe plant some more - in a couple of years it’ll be some great new habitat!
RSPB Staff
Have a lovely week, see you next time.
Luke
West Sedgemoor Residential Volunteering team